SUPERSTARS COME AND GO.
CHER IS FOREVER.
For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture - breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. The Cher Show is her story, and it's packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon.
The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy, and enough Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequins shortage in New York City, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical.
Jason Moore directs, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli and orchestrations by Daryl Waters.
I'm okay with the real thing, and even with nostalgia in YouTube-size bites - but not as the only fuel in the tank when you're trying to do a play. Put Cher, or even three Chers, on Broadway and not only do you in fact decrease the potential for expected spectacle - you've also got to try to make her into, well, theater. And that requires more than costumes, even costumes by Bob Mackie. It requires more than several good Cher impressions (Diamond, Wicks, and Block are all doing their best Janice-from-the-Electric-Mayhem voices, and Block especially sounds great belting out the brassy, vibrato-heavy hits). It requires more than wigs and wings and sailors and celebrities and tangoing gypsies and hoedown-ing cowboys. The problem isn't that it's all too much. It's that, when all the glitter's swept up, it's not nearly enough.
Granted, the jukebox musical that opened on Broadway Monday night has some clumsy and dopey dialogue. The story - a 50-50 mix of narration (yawn) and not-quite-skin-deep dramatization - tracing the pop goddess' personal and professional ups and downs won't surprise those with even a passing knowledge of Cher. Or access to Wikipedia. Still, it's thrilling watching the 72-year-old diva's rags-to-riches-and-back-again life woven by wall-to-wall hits - 'Bang Bang,' 'The Beat Goes On,' 'Half-Breed' and 'Believe,' among them.
2018 | Chicago |
World Premiere Chicago |
2018 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2022 | UK Tour |
UK Tour |
2024 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Bob Mackie |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daryl Waters |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daryl Waters |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair Design | Charles G. LaPointe |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Stephanie J. Block |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The Cher Show |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Christopher Gattelli |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Bob Mackie |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Micaela Diamond |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Bob Mackie |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Kevin Adams |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
Videos